Oarlock



April 6, 1954 J. WHITE ET AL OARLOCK Filed Feb. 15, 1951 INV RUDOLPH ENTORS IGLcwsKl BY \JOSEIPH WHrU-L wdwi m ATTOR Y Patented Apr. 6, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OARLOCK Joseph White and Rudolph Iglowski,. Webster, Mass.

Application February 15, 1951, Serial No. 211,006

Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in oarlocks and has particular reference to a simple, efiioient and inexpensivev oarlock having a portion which may be detachably connected with the car and which will enable substantially universal movement to be imparted to the blade end thereof during use.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provid an oarlock with a looped strap portion adapted to fit about the car in binding relation therewith, with the free ends. of said strap portion being pivotally connected to a head formed on a shank portion which is adapted to be pivotally positioned within. the shank receiving bore of a fixture secured to the side of the boat whereby the strap portion will pivot about an axis normal to the axis of the shank and the said shank is free to rotate in said fixture.

Another object is to provid an oarlock of the above character having a pivoted strap portion for surrounding the oar to be secured in binding relation therewith and further having means for varying the binding gripping action of said strap portion with said oar while permitting free pivotal movement of said strap portion with respect to the head of the shank portion of said oarlock.

Another object is to provide an oarlock of the above character whereby the gripping binding action of the pivoted strap portion maybe varied while introducing substantially nochange as to the pivotal movement thereof with respect to the head of the shank portion whereby the said strap may be readily adjusted into binding relation with cars of diiierent circumferential dimensions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the'fo-llowing; description taken in connection withthe, accompanying drawings and it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction and: arrangement of parts shown and, described as the preferred forms only have been given by wayof illustration.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view illustrating the device embodying the invention in. position of. use;

E13,. 2: is: an: enlarged. sectional viewaiurtheri1- lustrating the. device. in related position or" Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the device; and

Fig. 4 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a modified form of the invention.

With most conventional types of oarlocks, the oars are loosely supported and have a tendency to slide outwardly and become dislodged from the oarlocks if the cars are suddenly released when the boat is moving. This has been a considerable source of annoyance and detriment to fishermen, particularly when engaged in that type of fishing known as trolling, for when a fish strikes one must instantly drop the oars to free his hands for quick manipulation of the line in catching and landing the fish. Past. experience has proven that when ones attention, therefore, is divided between prevention of loss of oars and in the proper manipulation of the line at such crucial time, it has often resulted either in the loss of fish or loss of cars.

The present invention, therefore, is directed particularly to overcoming this difficulty by providing oarlocks having means for retaining the oars therein if suddenly released and which, however, will permit ready and free manipulation of the oars when desired.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, the device embodying the invention comprises a strap portion 5 adapted to encircle a portion of the oar 6 adjacent the handle end thereof. The strap portion 5 is provided with spaced depending end portions 7 and 3 having aligned pivotal openings therein. The said depending portions 1 and 8 are adapted to straddle an upwardly extending perforated tongue 9 carried by an enlarged head ID formed on the upper end of a reduced shank portion H. The depending portions 7 and 8 are provided with overlying stiffening or shape retaining bearing members l2 and I3 having openings therein aligned with the openings in said depending portions and having portions 14 and extending upwardly and overlying the base of the strap portion 5 adjacent said depending portions. The shank I I is adapted to be pivotally positioned within the hollow bore of a tubular bearing 1-5 having-a flanged head I l thereon. The head I! is adapted to besecured to the rim [,8 of the side of the boat [9 by screws or therlik lfl'. The tubular bearing l6 and flanged head I1 is a conventional fixture for supporting conventional typesof oarl'ocks- Thesaid shank H, ad:- jacentthe lower end thereofisprovided with: an opening in which. asuitable cotter pin or the. like by tightening the wing nut 23 an amount sufli- I cient to properly clamp the strap portion onto the oar 6 while still permitting sufiicient clearance between the member 9 and the depending portions 1 and 8 to allow free pivotal movement of said portions. The axis of the pivot bolt 22 is normal to the longitudinal axis of the shank H whereby the car may be tilted with respect to said shank simultaneous to the free rotary movement of the shank in the bearing Hi. When the cars are released, as for example, when trolling for fish, the strap portions 5 will retain the cars in their initially adjusted relation with the carlooks.

The head I0 is of a size larger than the diameter of the bore in the bearing 16 and is adapted to rest upon the top surface of the flanged head [1.

In Fig. 4, there is illustrated a modified form of the invention wherein the head of the shank portion 24 is bifurcated and has two spaced upwardly extending portions 25 and 25 having aligned openings therein along an axis substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the shank portion 24. In this construction, the depending portions 21 and 28 of the strap 28, simulating the depending portions I and 8 of the previously described construction, extend inwardly of the bifurcated portions and are provided with openings aligned with the openings in said portions 25 and 26. Suitable reinforcing plates 29 and 39, similar to the reinforcin plates l2 and I3, are positioned exteriorly of the depending portions 21 and 28. The said reinforcing plates 29 and 30 are provided with openings aligned with the openings in the portions 21 and 28 and function in a manner similar to the said reinforcing plates [2 and I3.

The aligned openings in the members 25 and 2B are of a diameter greater than the diameter of the openings in the depending portions 21 and 28 and in said reinforcing members 29 and 3t and are adapted to receive the enlarged head 32 of the pivot bolt which, in this instance, has a reduced portion 33 of a diameter similar to the diameter of the openings of the members 21, 28, 29 and 30 and which has a threaded end 34 adapted to be threaded within a nut 35 having an enlarged head 39 and a reduced portion 3'! adapted to fit within the openin in the member 26. The said reduced portion 31' is of a length greater than the thickness of the portion 25 whereby its inner end 39 will have side surface engagement with the adjacent reinforcing member 30. The said end 39 and the adjacent surface of the member 30 is provided with interlocking means such as irregular comating surfaces for preventing free rotation of the nut 35 relative to said member 30. The enlarged head 32 of the pivot bolt also has side surface engagement with the reinforcing member 29 so that when the pivot bolt is tightened or threaded inwardly of the nut 35, the depending portions 21 and 28 of the strap may be drawn together to move said strap into binding relation with the oar 49 while permitting free pivotal movement of said portion 32 and reduced portion 31 in the aligned openings in the portions 25 and 26 of the bifurcated head. The portion 32 is provided with a winged fingerpiece 4! for ease of tightening or loosening the bolt.

With this arrangement, the strap 28 may be readily adjusted to compensate for different diameters of oars and may be locked in binding relation therewith without in any way altering the free pivotal movement of the strap with respect to the bifurcated head of the shank portion.

It is to be understood that the parts are initially dimensioned to receive oars of the largest diameter and may be adjusted to fit oars of smaller diameters.

It is particularly pointed out that the reinforcing members l2 and I3 and 29 and are intended to provide additional bearing means and stiffening means whereby the strap portion 5 or 28', as th case may be, may be adjusted into binding relation with the oar without causing the depending portions 1 or 8 and the aligned openings therein or the depending portions 2'! and 28 and the aligned openings therein from becoming displaced in a sidewise direction to the extent that the various parts will not freely perform their desired function.

It is apparent that by controlling the initial set of the upwardly extending portions M and 15 or portions 29 and 39 that varying amounts of clamping action may be imparted to the strap portion 5 and to the strap 28 so as to enable said portions to be moved into proper binding relation with the adjacent portion of the car.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that simple, efficient and economical means have been provided for accomplishing all the objects and advantages of the invention.

Having described our invention, We claim:

1. An oarlock comprising a long and slender shank portion having an enlarged head, a pair of spaced perforated tongues extending upwardly of said head, a band having an intermediate portion shaped to fit about an oar, said band having spaced depending perforated portions shaped to fit between the tongues with their perforations aligned with the perforations in said tongues and means for pivotally connecting said depending portions with said tongues, said means havin portions pivotally movable in the perforations in said tongues and overlying the outer side surfaces of said depending portions for forcing the band into binding relation with the car independently of the pivotal connection.

' 2. An oarlock comprising a long and slender shank portion having an enlarged head, a pair of spaced perforated tongues extending upwardly of said head, a band having a continuous intermediate portion shaped to fit about an oar, said band having spaced integral depending perforated portions shaped to fit between the tongues with their perforations aligned with the perforations in said tongues and means for pivotally connecting said depending portions with said tongues, said means having enlarged portions pivotally movable in the perforations in said tongues and overlying the opposed outer side surfaces of said depending portions and being adjustable toward each other to clamp the band into binding relation with the car independently of the pivotal connection.

- 3. An oarlock comprising a shank portion having an enlarged head adjacent the upper end thereof, said head having perforated pivot means extending upwardly thereof, a strap having a continuous intermediate portion shaped to fit about an oar when assembled therewith and having integrally related spaced depending end portions, said end portions each having an aligned pivot opening therein, separate bearing members shaped to overlie each of the outer sides of said depending portions and having openings therein aligned with the openings in said depending portions, each bearing member having a portion extending upwardly and shaped to overlie the strap adjacent said depending portions and pivot bolt means extending through said aligned openings in said depending portions, through the openings in said overlying bearing members and through the perforated pivot means for pivotally connecting said depending portions to said perforated pivot means, said pivot bolt means further having means for retaining said members and the upwardly extending portions thereof in fitted relation with said depending portions and the adjacent portions of the strap and for simultaneously clamping the strap in binding relation with the car.

4. An oarlock comprising a shank portion having an enlarged head adjacent the upper end thereof, said head having upwardly extending perforated pivot means thereon, a strap having a continuous intermediate portion shaped to fit about an oar when assembled therewith, said strap having integrally related spaced depending end portions adapted to assume a position beneath the oar, said depending portions each having an opening therein adapted to be aligned with the perforated pivot means and a pivot bolt extending through said aligned openings and perforated pivot means, said bolt having an enlarged shouldered head portion adapted to overlie the outer side of one of said depending end portions and having a binding nut thereon overlying the outer side of the other of said depending portions which when the pivot bolt is tightened will draw said depending end portions toward each other and will clamp the strap on the oar, said shouldered head portion and said binding nut having a portion pivotally movable in said perforated pivot means independently of the clamping action thereof on said depending end portions.

. 5. An oarlock comprising a long and slender shank portion having an enlarged head on the upper end thereof, said head having a pair of spaced upwardly extending perforated tongues thereon, a strap embodying a continuous intermediate portion shaped to fit about an oar, said strap terminating in spaced integrally related depending perforated portions, depending perforated portions being shaped to fit between the upwardly extending perforated tongues of the head with their perforations aligned with the perforations in said tongues and pivot means extending through said aligned perforations and having enlarged portions pivotally supported in the perforations in said tongues, said enlarged portions of said pivot means being formed to overlie the opposed sides of said depending portions and being adjustable to cause said depending portions to move inwardly to hold said strap in clamping engagement with the car and with said holding action having no eiiect upon the pivotal movement of said enlarged portions of said pivot means in the perforations of said upwardly extending tongues.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,000,198 Rothgery Aug. 8, 1911 1,590,307 Manchester June 29, 1926 2,505,708 Gagnon Apr. 25, 1950 2,519,621 Agner Aug. 22, 1950 2,520,558 Norman Aug. 29, 1950 2,550,368 Michael Apr. 24, 1951 

